“Solo: A Star Wars Story” starts off on rocky footing. The first twenty minutes had me worried, not only about the strange blue filter on the screen and the director switch that occurred during production, but also about whether or not Alden Ehrenreich had the acting chops to pull off the title character.
Yet after the opening credits, my fears were quickly put to rest. Playing a younger Harrison Ford is an almost impossible challenge, yet Ehrenreich manages to pull it off. Sure, the voice sounds a bit different, but the mannerisms and intricacies of the character are embodied perfectly.
And with the help of Donald Glover, who plays Lando Calrissian, and first mate/franchise hero Chewbacca, the film quickly sets foot on the right track. The end result is an exciting and surprisingly charming origin story that sets up more sequels than should be necessary.
There are quite a few seemingly unnecessary moments jammed in, making many of the film’s bright spots ultimately feel like fan service. This really isn’t a bad thing for those familiar with Star Wars, but casual watchers may feel very confused throughout, particularly with one cameo toward the end that left me grinning from ear to ear.
Han meets Chewbacca quite early in the film, and it’s a treat to watch their relationship grow over these two hours. This is Chewie’s most prominent role yet, and the wookie shines in the spotlight. It’s just a shame his famous bowcaster never makes an appearance.
Seeing Chewbacca co-pilot the Millenium Falcon for the first time, as the original score swells in the background, brings back countless memories. And this is just one example of how, while some of the nostalgia doesn’t quite land, much of it works.
Woody Harrelson plays Tobias Beckett, the shady criminal who doubles as Han’s mentor. It’s hard to dive into the characters of Beckett and Qi’ra without spoiling the film’s greatest moments, but both serve a much larger role in the film than anticipated.
Lando’s role is brief, and the relationship with his robot co-pilot, L3-37, is undoubtedly the strangest and most awkward part of the film. These scenes in particular make it more obvious just how jarring the director change was, shifting from Phil Lord and Christopher Miller to Ron Howard.
By the end of the film, it’s hard not to feel sorry for Lando. Not only does he repeatedly get the short end of the stick, but he gets the short end of the screenplay as well.
The audience already knows that no harm can come to Han, Chewbacca and Lando. This is one of the pitfalls of an origin story though, and is largely unavoidable. While the film finds clever ways to build suspense, there is only so much that can be done.
Because of this, “Solo” might not be for everyone. For those unfamiliar with the characters of Star Wars, there isn’t really anything revolutionary enough to keep their interest.
For fans of the series though, and those familiar with Star Wars lore, “Solo” is hans down a worthy investment.
Max Rothenberg can be reached at[email protected]